Marcus was still unsure as to how he had gotten involved in such a conversation, because it was turning into mundane child complaints rather than... well, anything else. It wasn't that he was bothered by the discussion, but he was just struggling with what he was supposed to do. If anything this was further proof that he shouldn't have kids. He really, really didn't know what to do. "It eats first years because of how you get to Hogwarts," he explained, tone level. He didn't get why the child was getting so stubborn. He was never like that when he was eleven; he was guessing that was Carin's age. He used to just listen to everything that Sebastian told him, because he knew that his brother was smart. Marcus didn't understand people with a curious nature. "You take boats on the lake, and you pass the squid, and if you fall out of your boat it'll eat you."

"I don't know, Carin," he mumbled, scratching at his nose. Really, how did the kid come up with so many questions? He was getting annoyed again, and that never boded well for him. He already knew that he couldn't hex the child, because that would draw attention and Sebastian would kill him if he was in the Prophet for that. Even if the kid was related to the enemy... "Can you take a breath and slow down? You're talking too much." If the kid knew Quidditch at all, he would probably be able to figure out that Marcus didn't like to talk all that much, and the conversation was making him think a lot faster than he normally did.

He took another breath, trying to focus. "The professors would be the hardest to deal with." He personally didn't understand the issue, so it wasn't bothering him. So the kid wasn't a boy or a girl. The fact that Carin wanted to play Quidditch was all that mattered to him. "Or older students. Merlin, I don't really know. Just be the best at everything and they won't want to get rid of you. Or get my brother to like you. And the prefects."

"Why do you need to know about cemeteries, though?"

"Oh!" They grinned widely. "That makes sense, then! Easier prey! Did the Squid eat anyone or try to when you went over?"

They frowned slightly. They didn't mean to hurt his head, they just talked a lot when they were anxious and excited. And now he wasn't too happy, and it was their fault, and they needed to be better, because that was how people thought, probably. Lizzy was different because they also did a lot of talking and Carin knew how much talking was okay there, because Lizzy was always nice about it, and Lizzy didn't mind. And sometimes Amelia maybe got annoyed, but she was all older-sistery about it in a sorta condescending-but-loving way and sometimes that kinda hurt their feelings but that was still Amelia being nice. And Atha was quiet mostly, so them talking was helpful. And their mum allowed it and didn't mind it, and Dad thought it was funny, and Gramma Agatha let it happen because she was also quiet, but sometimes they got such looks from Dad's parents, like they were a disappointment. But then again, those were better than the look when they got whenever they corrected their grandparents to say they weren't a girl and to stop calling them Carina, unless they'd said they were to be Carina for the moment.

"Yeah, I'm gonna try that. I got two Prefects that'll be on my side. But--" hope filled their voice. "The Headmaster's your brother. Could you talk to him for me, say that there's an incoming student who mostly doesn't have a gender, and-- see what could be done about dorming?" If they knew what they were, or what Lizzy would be, it wouldn't be as much as a problem, because they could room with their best friend, but if they weren't with Lizzy, then they didn't know where they'd want to be, because they shouldn't have to choose between the boy's dorm or the girl's dorm, and maybe have their own tiny bedroom and being able to visit both when they got lonely or were demi.

"Someone fell in and got a toe nibbled at," he murmured. crinkling his nose. Marcus didn't remember the name because it hadn't been important at the time. It was somebody that went to Gryffindor, it honestly could have been Wood for all he knew, but he wasn't positive. It was one of those things that got filtered into long-term memory without a face, and he hadn't really thought he would have to repeat that fact to anyone. It was something that had just been passed around in his first year, and he was sure there was a repeat. One first year had come into the Great Hall sopping wet a bit later, hadn't they? Or was that something that Draco had told him? Marcus felt like he filtered out all of the mundane things that happened in Hogwarts... He did remember every moment of mocking Potter for the dementors, though. That had been great. "It might have happened again, but I don't remember every first day of school. That would've been eight years... Too much to remember that isn't relevant to Quidditch."

The child thankfully fell silent for a moment and Marcus was able to breath. He wasn't angry with the kid, he didn't get angry at kids most of the time... He was frustrated in the beginning of the conversation, though, because he absolutely hated when people said he looked like a troll. It was enough that he knew he was ugly, he didn't need some other kid telling him that. He wasn't attractive and he wasn't smart, and those things were generally off limits for people to make fun of. That and Quidditch. Other mocking was tolerable, he could roll his shoulders back and deal with it like a Slytherin. But the other things he had to deal with his own house making fun of him for, and that was hard. It hurt. 

He honestly didn't really want the kid to go through with that, and if this was his moment to be soft and sentimental so be it. The kid was overly chatty and he didn't like it, but he wasn't about to send some kid to the snake pit (hopefully, of course) without some sort of preparation. "I can try to talk to my brother," he said. "I doubt that he'll listen to me about this, but maybe if I say you'll be a useful Quidditch addition... Nah, it's Sebastian. I'll just talk to him." That was, if he remembered... The league was coming up and he was sure to be distracted... He would just have to try to remember before the start of school. "I mean, I don't really understand the predicament, it's a bit to wrap my head around. But I'll say something to him."

"Really? Really-really?" They lit up, a grin stretching wide across their face. "You will? Thank you so much!" They flung their arms around him, squeezing tight. Dad said they were too big to wrap their legs around people, which was stupid, because Carin had an idea of why, and they were only ten so that was gross. At one of the talks at the Pride center they'd gone to, they'd talked about gender roles and growing up and maturing, and that had led into the early sexualizition, at which part the moderator had cut it off quite rapidly, saying they could talk about that more when they moved to the older group.

"If you don't really understand it," they said, trying to choose their words carefully, "to simplify it, like I said earlier, I'm not a girl or a boy. I'm neither. It's called agender." They were more than that-- they were under the genderqueer umbrella, and they were really genderfluid, but they were agender most of the time. Sometimes they were a demiboy, and even less sometimes a demigirl, but those weren't as often as they were agender. "And if that's all you got, then maybe that's good enough for your brother, because maybe he'll be as confused and he can get that bit."

Marcus wasn't really the most touchy feely of people, but he let the kid hug him, at least out of... Well, he was being nice. That's what he was telling himself. He was being nice, and he was trying to make sure that he didn't just explode at the kid. He wanted to be more like Sebastian, he wanted to be someone that this Carin could look up to. He knew that he came off as prickly a lot, but he had to remember that there were children who did look up to him. He was the coach of a rather important quidditch team- the most important team if it was his own opinion. He had to make sure that he kept his image clean for the kids, because they were the future of quidditch. He had to think like his brother, he had to act like Sebastian. They needed people to look up to, people who were like his brother... "Yeah, I mean it. Send me an owl with what house you get in, too." Hopefully he would be sending back a green little gift, not something red.

"You're neither," he repeated, trying to filter his head around it. That didn't mean he understood it any better, but he was going to repeat it. He would tell Sebastian, he would make sure that everything got to his brother. The gist, at least. "Okay, neither."

"I will, I will!" They grinned widely. Oh, he was strong! Would they ever have a body that was that strong? They hoped so. Could he be standing there and support them and Henry and Lizzy? Maybe! Maybe he could even pick them all up, who knew. But both Carin's mum and Lizzy's mum probably wouldn't be too happy about that, saying that they were too old to squish together like that, which was stupid, and they were all different genders besides. They didn't know about Henry's aunt, though.

"And you'll write back, won't you? Whatever House, even if it's Gryffindor? And can I also write you before then?" That would be really cool, to have an owl friend. Maybe his owl had a better name than theirs did. Well, it was really their mother's, but Carin was only allowed to call the owl by their official name, which was stupid. Cassoway didn't sound as good as Mum's name, which was Fucking Nutter, but that was also somewhat rude, because the owl wasn't too bad, and only slightly lopsided when they flew, and besides, that had only been after Cassoway had gotten into a fight with a hawk, years after Mum had named them.